De Pasquale pips Payne for provisional Bend 500 pole

Anton De Pasquale has claimed provisional pole for the AirTouch 500 at The Bend after a breathless Boost Mobile Qualifying session.

The Team 18 spearhead set a 1:16.2710s to pip Penrite Racing's Matt Payne by just 0.0069s, the Kiwi surviving a scary close call with Ryan Wood late in the session.

In what has been an unpredictable weekend, three rookies qualified for the Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout, and several big names missed out altogether.

With half an hour on the clock, teams could squeeze in up to four runs, meaning the intensity was dialled up right from the very outset.

Some opted to run slightly off sequence, notably both the Walkinshaw TWG Racing Toyotas. The Dick Johnson Racing Fords went 1-2 early, led by Brodie Kostecki on a 1:16.8112s, before being broken up by Chaz Mostert.

Wood, meanwhile, was battling with a Supra that he felt was "on top of the road," also locking up at Turn 6.

On the second run, Chevrolet found some strong form, with David Reynolds and De Pasquale both launching into the top three, though both not able to go quicker than Payne, who went top on a 1:16.5859s.

However, Broc Feeney then set the fastest lap of the weekend on a 1:16.3644s, which Cam Waters looked on course to threaten until he triggered the track limits sensor at Turn 6 after setting a purple first sector.

Slightly off sequence, Kostecki could only manage a 1:16.5667s in response to Feeney, and though it moved him to second, he was still over two tenths behind the #88 Ford.

After the second run, Kostecki, Payne, Reynolds, De Pasquale, Wood, and Will Brown were all covered by just 0.11s from second to seventh.

The third run was a real moving period in the session, as Cooper Murray, Jack Le Brocq, Jobe Stewart, and Thomas Randle all launched themselves into the top 10. Payne went back to first on a 1:16.2894s, just 0.0155s ahead of De Pasquale, and 0.0750s ahead of Feeney.

Payne's session almost came to an abrupt end as an off-sequence Wood trundled out of pit lane, and swerved over to the right side of the front straight as Payne had committed to the same area of track.

The #19 Ford slammed on the anchors and jinked left in the nick of time, avoiding what would have been a massive accident, and Payne promptly improved his marker next time by to a 1:16.2779s.

However, De Pasquale then snuck ahead by the barest of margins, with Kai Allen and Feeney also within a tenth of provisional pole, the former jumping into the 10 late in the session.

In fifth was Zach Bates, the Matt Stone Racing rookie making a welcome return to his early season qualifying form, with Kostecki sixth, and Randle seventh.

Jayden Ojeda converted his strong Friday form into eighth, with Waters ninth, and Erebus Motorsport rookie Stewart qualifying for his first ever Top Ten Shootout in 10th.

Both Mostert (11th) and Wood (14th) were left on the outside looking in as no Toyotas made the Shootout, whilst Brown also missed out in 13th.

The Boost Mobile Top Ten Shootout will complete Saturday's action at 5:00pm local time/5:30pm AEST.